European Commission close to solving issue of excess Ukrainian agricultural goods accumulated in several countries

BRUSSELS. April 26 (Interfax) - The European Union is close to reaching a common solution to the problem of Ukrainian agricultural products causing a collapse in prices in several east European countries, European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said on Tuesday.

"We are very close to the good solution of this problem," Wojciechowski said following negotiations among EU agriculture ministers.

The commissioner noted the importance of a common European solution. "Of course unilateral measures is not the solution, we need the measures on the European level," he said.

The commissioner said that negotiations had taken place between the European Commission and five EU member states - Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

"And now, the Commission's proposal on the table is to introduce [a] temporary import ban, not for the whole European Union, but only for five frontline countries for five more sensitive products, which are maize, wheat, rapeseeds, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil," Wojciechowski said.

Poland and another four countries have suggested banning eight more products, including honey, sugar, poultry and dairy products, he said. However, these products do not have the same effect on the market as the five suggested by the European Commission, according to Wojciechowski. They account for 90% of imports from Ukraine, while the other eight products amount to less than 10% of imports.

The commissioner said the sides were close to an agreement on the five products.

The Western media said that farmers in a number of EU's eastern countries have been experiencing problems caused by an influx of Ukrainian grain and other products in recent months. Countries bordering Ukraine currently have a surplus of grain, seeds, eggs, poultry meat, sugar, apples and apple juice, berries, flour, honey and pasta. This is leading to oversupply, which in turn is having a negative impact on the prices of local producers. Additionally, while these goods remain in excess on the shelves in these countries, they are failing to reach countries outside the EU that are ready to buy them.